Bruins Wrap: Boston’s Losing Streak Reaches Four With 3-2 Loss Vs. Capitals

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Dec 11, 2019

The Bruins’ losing streak continues.

Boston dropped its fourth straight game Wednesday night in a 3-2 loss to the Capitals. The B’s got on the board first, but allowed Washington to score two second-period goals and one in the third in what could be an Eastern Conference Final preview.

David Pastrnak ended his four-game drought without a goal, extending his league lead to 26 in the first period. Sean Kuraly accounted for the B’s other tally. T.J. Oshie (twice) and Massachusetts Native John Carlsson potted the goals for the Capitals.

Jaroslav Halak denied 22 shots, but Braden Holtby was just a bit stronger between the pipes, stopping 30 in Washington’s win.

With the win, the Bruins dropped to 20-6-6, while the Capitals improved to 23-5-5.

Here’s how It all went down:

THE DROUGHT IS OVER
Pastrnak found twine for the first time in four games in the first period.

Charlie McAvoy threw a cross-ice pass to Pastrnak who got the puck past Holtby short side to make it 1-0. It also extended his league lead to 26.

Things got chippy just a minute later when Tom Wilson cross-checked Zdeno Chara, resulting in a brief kerfuffle with Chara narrowly dropping Wilson.

Boston appeared to go up two goals, but the offsides challenge once again did not go in the B’s favor. Jake DeBrusk backhanded the puck to Patrice Bergeron who shot it into the net on the power play, but a review showed DeBrusk crossing the blue line before Pastrnak could get over it with the puck.

The two teams were tied with eight shots apiece at the end of 20.

OSHIE GETS TWO
The Caps went on the power play on a questionable interference call on Chris Wagner and tied it up at the 4:35 mark when Oshie, who was all alone in front of the net, roofed one by Halak and off the crossbar.

And just three-and-a-half minutes later, Washington took its first lead thanks to Oshie potting his second goal of the game when he dangled around Connor Clifton to create a breakaway and backhanded the puck by Halak for the 2-1 edge.

Boston killed off two other penalties and was down 2-1 when the second period expired. The B’s outshot the Caps 23-14.

THE SLUMP CONTINUES
The B’s got a quick power play to open up the third and didn’t capitalize, but knotted things up just after it expired thanks to a Kuraly tip off a Torey Krug shot from the point.

But the Caps found themselves back in the lead just two minutes later when Nicklas Backstrom took the puck behind the net and dropped it off to Carlsson at the faceoff dot and blasted it by Halak to make it 3-2 with 4:42 gone from the period.

Carlsson went off for tripping three minutes later to give the Black and Gold their second man-advantage of the period. But a sloppy power play proved futile as the B’s continued to play from behind. Another Boston power play at the halfway mark again came up unsuccessful.

A last-ditch effort with an empty net couldn’t get anything done for the B’s as they dropped their fourth straight game.

UP NEXT
The Bruins will quickly need to put this loss behind them as they’re back in action Thursday night when they travel to Tampa Bay to take on the Lightning. Puck drop from Amalie Arena is set for 7 p.m. ET.

Thumbnail photo via Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports Images
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